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i'll take an escape over reality any day of the week. i've been living in reality for the past 20 years and frankly i'm kinda sick of it.
flick master flash - 12.7.06 |
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the sloth one is the one that really gets to me. i definitely know what you mean. we pretend we're living our lives when we're really just escaping from them.
TIGERSTYLE - 9.30.06 |
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9.26.06
[ 645 views ] |
we are all sinners
an evaluation of new york night life in relation to the seven deadly sins by hannah haddix
after a two hour phone conversation with a childhood friend (who has made it his life goal to analyze the systematic indoctrination of the secular progressive movement and find the absolute truth pertaining NOT ONLY to the ultimate God, but in his everyday life.) i have been inspired to analyze my own habits and lifestyle. for this i will have to choose a system of morals to base the evaluation on. there are hundreds of different belief systems of what is right and wrong and there are only two that i am particularly familiar with. those being 1) the decalogue (more commonly known as the ten commandments) and 2) the seven deadly sins. i don't want theology to get involved in this evaluation because i don't stand by any particular religious system, so the decalogue wouldn't be appropriate.... besides, anyone who knows me, knows that i had an affair with the concept of the seven deadly sins and portrayed it heavily in my art for a brief period of time. (actually, the seven sins could be applied theologically because it is referenced frequently in the catholic church... but i don't know much about Catholicism and i am not attaching it to any God-given doctrine. i will take the "eye of the beholder" standpoint on this one and say it has nothing to do with theology.)
so let's take the seven deadly sins... a set of seven acts that reflect immoral basic human instincts: pride, lust, gluttony, envy, greed, sloth and anger. and... instead of evaluating my OWN life from this standpoint (how boring) i will analyze a lifestyle we all know a little something about: New York night life as it stands today.... and just as a disclaimer before i begin, i happen to be guilty to some degree on all seven accounts, and am not about to deny it. I am not targeting any one person by this, but the scene (that i happen to be apart of) as a whole. the people i use pictures of are my good friends or people i have much respect for. i'm not condemning you, i'm recognizing you.
PRIDE
the most obvious sin in the nightlife is PRIDE. it is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive to others....the excessive love of one's self.... and there are many mediums to facilitate it in our scene. for example.. the plethora of photogs where participants of the nightlife can go and see themselves in pixel form after the party is over. not only do people go to clubs to be seen... but to be photographed and have their face/fashion available for the entire internet audience to view. to name a few of these pride driven sites: lastnightsparty, cobrasnake, junk-mag, nickydigital, ambrel, flickmasterflash, indierotica, myopenbar, gbh, facehunter, metro212... gawker even. and then the sites that those pictures trickle down to: myspace, facebook, 476ad, livejournal. you get the point. but thanks to these photogs i have hard evidence of all seven of the sins in the nightlife.
LUST
another painfully obvious aspect of the nightlife. actually, it might even overpower pride. it's definitely the most obvious sin to anyone on the outside looking in. so many things are lust driven as creatures of the night. go-go dancers. intoxication to implement promiscuous sex. the hot body contest of rated x the panty party. humans who are apart of this scene are NOT easily offended by explicitly sexual behavior. unnatural sexual appetites are worn on sleeves and shirts are constantly being taken off. some people go out at night to be seen, some people go out at night to get laid.
GLUTTONY
the definition for gluttony has the word overindulgence in it, so therefore, gluttony could be overindulgence in any one thing (not just food). can we say.... substance abuse and alcoholism? there are three key factors in EVERY single night life situation... without fail there will be: music, people and ALCOHOL. (thus the three important nightlife occupations: djs, hosts/promoters, and bartenders.) not everyone partakes in drinking or drug use, and alot of people are moderate about their intake... but we cannot ignore that alcohol is always present and it gets consumed in massive amounts. some people go out to be seen, some people go out to get laid, some people go out to get wasted.
ENVY
envy is a little bit tricky. it's a very personal experience and isn't often expressed. there is nothing glamorous about envy and considering the night life is based heavily on image, it doesn't allow for the exploitation of unattractive things like jealousy. the grass is always greener on the other side. the crowd is always better at the other party. hey! their bottle service is better, that dj gets more hype, she is photographed more often, his fashion is more extreme, she it thinner, he is taller, they are more important. the fact that we are envious is because we are humans... the things we are envious ABOUT is because the social standards set by the scene.
GREED
greed is very similar to envy... but it is definitely not the same thing. envy is wanting to possess what another has, greed is the desire to obtain as much as possible of something that one likes. people can only begin to act greedy when material assets and money are involved. you see alot of greed on the level of night life workers. djs wanting more money to spin. bands wanting more money to preform. hosts and promoters getting as many people to come to their parties only so they can make their cut. (and i want more drink tickets and an extra bottle on that note! on the double!) club owners wanting to charge more for their drinks. cover charges, coat check charges, tips for bartenders, tips for go go dancers. i want the most people at my party. i want the most photographers at my party. i want all the drag queens and celebrities and what about those misshapes? throw in the ruff kids and the bk girls and maybe we will get the most press coverage and i can start charging more at the door.... "i wouldn't even GO to that party if they weren't paying me so much." some people go out at night just to get paid.
SLOTH
sloth can be interpreted so many different ways. i think the concept is broader than simple "laziness." it is the sin of refusing to take advantage of positive opportunities given to improve yourself. sloth is essentially a loss of activity and energy that is akin to a loss of courage. you can't say there is nothing sloth-like in the night life because every time you go out you are physically and socially active and exert energy while dancing and running around. we are sloths on the cultural level. (pop culture excluded.) on the intellectual level. im not saying the people who are apart of the scene are unintelligent, because i think alot of us are brilliant... but we don't utilize many of our skills, as talented humans, while participating in dance parties 3-7 nights a week. we glorify our bodies and ignore our minds. there is nothing brave about surrounding yourself with humans numbed by alcohol in a dark room where the music is so loud you cant engage in conversation. some people go out at night because its the easy way.
ANGER
at first i planned to relate anger to the drama that occurs in the scene. but drama is not anger. anger is an expression of hatred and may include violence, rage, impatience, discrimination, revenge, and spite. fortunately, i am not an angry person by any means and can not find any of these aspects in the night life. maybe there is something angry that goes on that i don't see. if you know the angry aspect you should let me know so i can make my analysis complete...
i don't really have much of a conclusion to this entry except to say that... the only meaningful aspect to the night life that's been untouched by this analysis (that i've noticed) is the music. you should go out for the MUSIC sometime and support parties with talented djs that play music you enjoy. dont go to a party for the photographers, open bars or go go dancers. support good djs. maybe i looked over the key to classify music as a sin or....maybe im just being influenced by something tommie sunshine said...
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